1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer interconnect architectures and in particular to a technique for providing a concurrent switch interconnect while maintaining compatibility with existing interconnect protocols.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional computer systems have used interconnect busses such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) busses to connect multiple devices to the computer system. In many configurations, bridges are used to segment a single logical interconnect system into multiple bus segments. Recently, the availability of switching technology has introduced devices, such as crossbar switches, which can be placed between two interconnect bus segments similar to a PCI-PCI bridge, providing compatibility with the PCI interconnect specification, but providing a concurrent switch interconnect.
However, to maintain compatibility with the PCI specification, conventional switches have needed to include significant resources in a routing engine of the switch, increasing design complexity and cost of chip design, and decreasing the performance of the switch. System designers have desired a way to provide the advantages of a switched interconnect without the high complexity of current switches, while maintaining compatibility with existing interconnect protocols.